Giving and Tithing

is it necessary, required, why, and how much am i supposed to?

30 '“One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy. 32 Count off every tenth animal from your herds and flocks and set them apart for the Lord as holy. ' Leviticus 27:30,32

'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! ' Malachi 3:10

tithe, the hebrew word for ‘tenth’ which most people know associate it with setting aside 10%. some people do it because of Jewish customs and Christian values that were passed down from generation to generation, while others do not.

are we ‘required’ to do it? well, technically, no as it was done in the old testament to support the levites and those in need. while the priesthood is no longer due to Christ’s sacrifice, thus superseding the need for such practice. the issue here is where our heart is in relationship to what God provides us and how we view of what we got.

The Bible explains that tithing is an important part of faith for those who follow God and that your tithe should be money you set aside first.

because when you tithe before making a plan with the rest of your money, you’re making it a priority instead of an afterthought. you’re giving your firstfruits instead of your leftovers. ~dave ramsey~

why don’t people give? for some it may be selfishness and greed - i did this or that to earn (whatever it is) and it should be mine to do as i please; i’m living hand-to-mouth, paycheck-by-paycheck and do not have enough; i do not think God really needs this as He is God; and many other “reasons” that come to mind. this is not to pass judgment on or condemn those who do not, just simply pointing out thoughts that have run through my mind and have imagined others may have also.

i do not believe in what some people speak of or that preach about ‘prosperity gospel’ - giving in order to get. even while God does say to test Him in malachi, i feel this is completely different in that we pay tribute to Him when we give because of the relationship and trust. while on the other side of the coin, we only give so we can get more from the one who already provides. this i struggle with when people talk about giving this to get that, donate this amount and your will get heaps of rewards and blessings from our Heavenly Father. i feel as if that is trying to purchase His favor and love.

we should want to give because it is showing God how much we trust and honor Him; that what is ours was His to begin with; that He promises to take care of us when we do. as with the other passages we recently read, you faithfully do this and the Lord Our God is going to come through.

the challenge some may have, and that includes me, is the amount. i feel, in my heart, that if you give from what little you have with a sincere heart, that even if it is not the 10%, the Lord sees what we put in and will reward us accordingly.

while i would love to say my hearts 100% right when giving, that is not always true. because of my limited income over the past 3 years, i have struggled to manage my finances in a manner that does honor Him. sometimes i forget to once i get paid and wait a few days, sometimes the following week while i juggle what to pay first. this has been a fairly bad habit as i need to be more aware of putting God first, making this a priority rather than an afterthought.

what i can say is that regardless of what i have been going through financially, our God is an awesome God who has continued to provide for my family and i. He has not taken away all the bills, loans - mortgage, business, etc., what He has shown is His unfailing that He has not and will not leave me, my family, and if we continue to believe and trust, our needs will be met.

Father God, thank you for showing my family and i that you are always there for us. teach us how to be better stewards of the resources you supply and to never be selfish with the resources you so abundantly allow us to have. may our giving match our faith and whoever it is intended for will be blessed immeasurably by it. we can never out give you, simply help us to never forget to bless others with what you so freely bestow on us. in Jesus’ name i pray, amen!